No Octopi for Wings Fans, Seller Says

Pittsburgh fishmonger wants 'to see the Penguins win, period'
By Harry Kimball,  Newser Staff
Posted May 23, 2008 8:33 PM CDT
No Octopi for Wings Fans, Seller Says
Joe Louis Arena building operations manager Al Sobotka twirls an octopus thrown onto the ice before the start of a game.   (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Red Wings fans, save room in that suitcase—it may be tough to buy an octopus in Pittsburgh next week. One steel-town fishmonger refuses to sell octopi to Detroit fans once the Wings-Penguins Stanley Cup finals kick off on Saturday. In a tradition spanning more than 50 years, Detroit fans have been tossing eight-leggers on the ice to boost their team, the Detroit Free Press reports.

“Anyone who comes in here with a Red Wings jersey, they’re allowed to buy anything in the store, just not the octopus,” the fish seller said. He may even check buyers for ID. Red Wings fans have been throwing out octopi since 1952, when a Detroit merchant first tossed one to indicate the eight wins needed back then to clinch the Stanley Cup. (More hockey stories.)

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